Why This Cruise Ship Is Excellent for Solo Holidays

Earlier this 12 months, life was feeling fast-paced, and I made a decision an enormous break was so as. Searching for a technique to decelerate and reset, I remembered the phrases of my father, who handed in 2015. He was within the Navy as a younger man, and had at all times instructed me I ought to cross an ocean no less than as soon as. So, taking that as my inspiration, I booked a solo journey to sail throughout the Atlantic, aboard the Norwegian Getaway.

The itinerary would take me from New York to Southampton, England, over the course of two weeks in late April and early Could. As a one-way journey, the journey is what insiders name a repositioning cruise, when a ship strikes from one a part of the world to a different, normally to observe the seasons. (I deliberate to fly residence as soon as I reached the U.Ok.)

This might not be a kind of old school, no-stopping crossings, although: After leaving New York, our 3,903-passenger ship visited Canada earlier than touring 5 consecutive days within the North Atlantic. On the European leg, we additionally visited Eire, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France earlier than our ultimate cease in Southampton. I used to be intrigued by the fascinating itinerary, for certain, but in addition by Norwegian Cruise Line’s dedication to solo vacationers. The road presents solo pricing, cabins constructed particularly for singles, and grants all impartial vacationers entry to a non-public lounge meant only for them. Seems, this solos-only house has the perfect cup of complimentary espresso on board.

One other discovery was simply how simple it was to maintain up with work whereas at sea, due to the Starlink system on Getaway. I splurged on the upgraded Wi-Fi package deal and located the sign robust and constant, even throughout barely inclement climate. It additionally labored splendidly from my inside cabin. This was, I’ll admit, shocking, contemplating the ship was comparatively full: On sea days — and given the comparatively chilly spring climate — many visitors had been indoors so much and more likely to be on their gadgets.

I savored the lengthy stretches at sea, after I could possibly be as energetic or as relaxed as I wished. There have been quite a few leisure choices day and evening; a state-of-the-art spa and health heart; loads of sizzling tubs; and an out of doors working observe with great views on Deck 16. Every so often, I ventured out for some recent air and whale watching, binoculars in hand, on the Waterfront, a quarter-mile promenade on Deck 8 with outside bars and comfortable seating. Different occasions, I’d duck into one of many specialty eating eating places, similar to Ocean Blue or La Cucina, which don’t function throughout mid-day hours however nonetheless provide a quiet place to take a seat: window tables with stunning views of the ocean.

Personally, I discovered crusing for days with no land in sight each enjoyable and thrilling. And, fortunately, we solely skilled at some point with excessive seas; in our case, it was 15-foot swells. For me, the over-the-counter medicines I packed had been utterly efficient. Phew!

Whereas Getaway isn’t one of many latest Norwegian ships, I discovered it by-and-large to be snug and up to date. I did miss having a big “statement lounge” like these discovered on different Norwegian ships, such because the Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Pleasure. Nonetheless, different current updates to this vessel that was first launched in 2014 have improved the expertise on board. Throughout one current beauty overhaul, Norwegian made modifications to the on line casino structure on Getaway to higher comprise the smoking space, which had beforehand been adjoining to a close-by restaurant, and likewise spruced up the primary eating venue, now referred to as the Manhattan Room.

One factor I did study the laborious approach is that I ought to have began my journey in Europe and sailed towards the U.S. Going the opposite approach would’ve let me acquire quite than lose an hour of sleep most nights. I’ll should maintain that in thoughts for my subsequent repositioning cruise.

Now, right here’s a more in-depth have a look at the staterooms, facilities, meals, and different options on Norwegian Getaway.

The Staterooms

With 2,014 staterooms, Getaway has a cabin and value level to go well with virtually any journey fashion. Company in search of an elevated expertise can select from 80 suites within the Haven, what Norwegian calls its unique “ship-within-a-ship” space, full with a non-public restaurant, lounge, and pool. (One factor to notice: Solely 28 suites on Getaway are actually inside the Haven, with the remaining 52 elsewhere on the ship — although they do have entry to all the facilities.)

As a solo traveler, I went the opposite course, reserving an inside cabin. Sadly, by the point I booked my journey, all of the cabins on the ship which are particularly for solo vacationers had been bought out. (Getaway has 59 studio staterooms and 20 solo balcony cabins for single vacationers.) As an alternative, I used to be provided solo pricing on a barely bigger inside cabin. Not one to cross up a deal, I reserved regardless of the actual fact the room didn’t have a balcony — or perhaps a window. Embellished in heat brown hues with pops of blue, Cabin 12455 was cozy and comfy, with a enjoyable, midcentury fashionable carpet. It was well appointed and effectively designed with a number of storage nooks to maintain organized; the toilet was bigger than I anticipated.

Bars and Eating places

With almost 20 totally different eating choices on Getaway, I at all times felt like I had loads of selections, even on a 14-day journey. Complimentary for all visitors are three most important eating rooms, in addition to the American Diner; Backyard Cafe, because the buffet is thought; Shanghai’s Noodle Bar; and O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill, the ship’s 24-hour eatery providing conventional tavern fare.

I used to be personally extra excited by the eight specialty eating places, entry to which is both à la carte or obtainable with an upgraded eating package deal. Getaway is likely one of the few Norwegian ships with Wasabi, a sushi spot, and the Uncooked Bar, an ideal place to have just a few oysters and a few bubbly earlier than a present. There are additionally Italian, Brazilian, and French eating places on board. Two standout dishes for me had been the poached pear dessert at Le Bistro and the roasted beets with goat cheese and truffle dressing at Ocean Blue.

The ship has about 20 totally different bars, give or take, contemplating some, similar to Sugarcane Mojito Bar and Syd Norman’s Pour Home, have each indoor and outside bars and numerous leisure venues additionally combine and serve drinks. If the favored Atrium Bar or Mixx Bar had been too busy for my style, I’d enterprise to the stylish Prime Meridian Bar, which at all times felt like a clandestine spot for a nightcap.

The place Norwegian Getaway Sails

For summer time dates in 2024, the ship will cruise the Greek islands out of Athens, with itineraries that additionally embody Turkey, Malta, Spain, and Portugal. The following transatlantic crossing, a 12-day voyage in early October, departs Lisbon for Miami, with visits to Nova Scotia, Canada; the Azores, Portugal; and New York. Then, Getaway returns to Caribbean waters with fall and winter cruises from New Orleans to Mexico, Belize, and Honduras.

In 2025, Getaway will sail Caribbean locations, with visits to locations similar to Curaçao, Aruba, the Dominican Republic, and Grand Cayman. Spring and summer time itineraries embody numerous New York to Bermuda journeys, and late 2025 voyages take the Getaway to Canada and the Bahamas.

Shore Excursions

I opted for excursions in Zeebrugge, Belgium and Le Havre, France, each ports that required a little bit of journey to get to what I wished to see. The “Bruges and Belgian Candies” tour included a well-paced stroll by the medieval metropolis heart and a go to to the Chocolate Museum. Whereas in France, I loved a full-day tour on the “Monet’s Giverny & Rouen” expertise, together with a go to to Claude Monet’s home and gardens in Giverny. (Subsequent time, I’d not go on a busy vacation weekend!). The beautiful journey was rounded out by an included lunch at a captivating countryside villa, and a cease in Rouen, the capital of Normandy.

One thing to bear in mind is that these excursions had been all massive teams, with a mean of 40 folks per tour. Typically, the times had been effectively organized and transport ran easily. The one main hiccup gave the impression to be in Dún Laoghaire, Eire. Moderately than be at a dock, the ship was at anchor, which meant that visitors needed to get ashore by tender. Norwegian allowed passengers to order a time slot for tenders — however many people nonetheless needed to wait so long as 90 minutes to get ashore.

Facilities and Leisure

On a ship of this dimension, there’s at all times one thing to do. Virtually everybody on board raved concerning the Tony Award–successful musical “Million Greenback Quartet,” in addition to the imaginative “Broadway Unplugged” present. Elsewhere, Headliners Comedy Membership had stand-up acts in addition to an upbeat dueling pianos present. Bliss Extremely Lounge was the place to bounce into the wee hours; the ship additionally had a on line casino and cigar lounge.

For extra relaxed vibes, there’s the Mandara Spa, with its therapy rooms and a Thermal Suite, which had heated tile loungers, saunas, a whirlpool, and a salt room. It was extremely busy on sea days; I heard the general expertise was higher on days the ship was in port.

Given the season, there have been only some courageous souls in the primary swimming pools on my journey, however Getaway does have two, plus a kids-oriented water park and 5 waterslides. (Whereas I didn’t see anybody having fun with the enjoyable “moist lounge” within the adults-only Spice H2O, it was the place to seize a piña colada when the solar was out.) Ten outside sizzling tubs — 4 situated close to the primary swimming pools, two in Spice H2O, and 4 extra within the unique areas of Vibe Seaside Membership and the Haven — had been actually put to good use. There’s a Ropes Course hovering excessive above Deck 17, for a little bit of adrenaline-pumping journey; giving it a go is included within the cruise far.

Household-friendly Choices

On condition that I used to be touring for 2 weeks, and throughout the college 12 months, I wasn’t shocked that there have been few kids aboard. However, on different journeys, Getaway could possibly be an excellent choice for households. The ship has a complimentary Splash Academy youth program, and older youngsters could make new pals on the Entourage teenagers’ membership. There’s additionally a kid-specific “aqua park,” and a sequence of 5 multistory waterslides. Further facilities for households together with an arcade, a small bowling alley, and a well-equipped sports activities space full with an out of doors basketball court docket which, by well-liked request on my cruise, was became a makeshift pickleball court docket.

Accessibility

Getaway has roughly 40 accessible rooms in numerous stateroom classes, together with within the Haven, that includes wider doorways, roll-in showers, seize bars, and sufficient house to show mobility gadgets. The ship can accommodate most wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and all eating and bar venues are accessible. There are accessible public restrooms, leisure venues with lodging, and ADA pool lifts may be present in the primary pool and sizzling tub space, in addition to within the Thermal Suite. Aside from Decks 17 and 18, all have visitor elevator entry. Gangways for embarking and disembarking are large sufficient to accommodate most mobility scooters and wheelchairs.